Legality and timing of verification of water meters

Here you will learn:

• Is verification of water meters required?
• Legal basis
• Hot water meter verification period
• Cold water meter verification period
• Grounds for an unscheduled inspection
• Verification procedure
• Which organizations can verify water meters?
• Consequences if deadlines are missed
• Which water meter is better to buy: main types

The verification period for cold and hot water meters is established in the device passport and can range from 4 to 6 years. Only a specialized and licensed organization can carry out verification.

Is verification of water meters required?

Verification of individual metering devices (IMU), or meters, is a mandatory procedure. This is enshrined in Article 13 of the Federal Law “On Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements” No. 102-FZ of June 26, 2008, as well as in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of May 6, 2011.

If you do not verify on time, you will not be able to pay for hot and cold water according to meter readings*. From the 1st day of the month following the month in which it was necessary to carry out verification, accruals will be carried out as follows:

• the first 3 months - according to the average calculated readings of your meters over the last six months;
• from the 4th month - according to the standard.

You will again be able to pay for water according to meter readings after verification.

Rules for the provision of utility services to owners of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of May 6, 2011 (see paragraph 59).

Legislation

The government has adopted several acts that regulate the means and methods of measuring water supply. Federal Law No. 102 of June 26, 2008 - this law governs the provision of uniform measuring instruments . The document defines the need to check devices according to metrology requirements.

The purpose of the act is to protect the rights of citizens, society and the state from the negative impact of incorrect measurements. This document also establishes a period after which the inspection must be carried out. During this period, the device operates unhindered, taking into account the supply of cold/hot water. It is allowed to install only those meters that are approved by the register of measuring instruments of the State Standard of the Russian Federation.

Federal Law No. 261 dated November 23, 2009. This law “On energy saving and increasing energy efficiency and on introducing amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation” obliges all water utility subscribers in apartment buildings to install water meters without fail. To do this, you need to draw up an agreement with the water utility, and 180 days are given for all installation procedures.

Mandatory installation of a meter provides the following advantages:

1. Economical management of resources.
2. The measuring tool allows you to determine possible losses.

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 dated May 6, 2011. This document explains the features of payment for the use of water and other services in apartment buildings, as well as the rules for the provision of utility services. The resolution clearly defines the concept of the amounts payable in the presence of a meter, as well as in its absence.

Legal basis

The procedure for verifying a water meter, which measures the accuracy of their operation, is based on Federal Law No. 102 and Federal Law No. 261. Home owners are required to verify operating water supply control and measuring devices based on the requirement established by clause 1 of Art. 13 Federal Law No. 102.

Detailed legal regulations regarding water meters, in particular, an explanation of what the calibration interval of water meters (MPI) is, is made in government decree No. 354, adopted in 2011. The latest edition of this regulatory act, containing the Rules according to which public utilities should be provided to the population, dates back to 2020.

When using vane-type drinking water meters, you must follow the requirements of GOST R 50601-93.

Hot water meter verification period

What is the calibration interval for water meters? Simply put, this is the date determined by official documents by which the water meter must be checked. In the absence of verification or its official confirmation, citizens acquire the problem of charging them money for the provision of a resource according to the standards adopted in the housing and communal services system. That is, the equipment begins to be considered inoperative.

Let us remind you once again: for hot water monitoring devices, the verification period is usually determined at 4 years. For some foreign manufacturers it may be a year or two longer. Why this time period is shorter for hot meters is explained by the fact that, due to a more aggressive exposure environment, they have higher wear and tear on the materials from which they are made.

Cold water meter verification period

It is generally accepted that the following factors influence wear:

• Chlorine in water;
• Heavy metals;
• Small garbage;
• External mechanical damage;
• Term of the work.

Sometimes, due to these destructive phenomena, residents in Moscow check their water meters ahead of schedule. There are currently no regulations limiting the frequency of verification. For their own confidence, citizens often conduct it once every twelve months or more often. In 2020, Sobyanin’s decree abolished the verification of the hot water meter every 4 times and the cold water meter every 6 times. According to Russian legislation, this procedure is carried out at an interval specified by the manufacturer itself.

Therefore, the laws establish the verification interval for water meters for individuals, which is usually equal to six years. Variability appears when it comes to more complex types of meters.

Most flow meters are tachometer. However, there are more complex devices:

1. With heat sensor;
2. With pulse output;
3. Electromagnetic;
4. Ultrasonic, etc.

The first two types also belong to the tachometer type, since they work based on the rotation of the impeller blades inside the pipe, and only have additional functionality. Their manufacturer, based on this, has the right to indicate the timing from verification to verification, at its discretion. By law, the consumer must follow them, since wear directly depends on the design features.

Some of them may be more vulnerable due to fragile components. For example, pulse flow meters (automatically transmitting measurements at a certain frequency directly to the control unit) have such an element as a hermetic contact. It is defined as key in the system, but cannot be repaired at all. However, “smart” meters are now bought in Moscow only for some specific conditions, where it is difficult to do without them. Conventional mechanical ones are popular.

Grounds for an unscheduled inspection

Water metering devices are checked every quarter, as well as once every 12 months.

Activities are prescribed to achieve the following goals:

• identification of defective devices;
• detection of facts of incorrect and unauthorized use of meters;
• lack of individual water consumption devices.

The apartment owner may not even pay attention to a faulty mechanism. In this case, the readings are displayed incorrectly. Monitoring is carried out to identify malfunctions. It is difficult to independently identify an error in work, and employees of the management company and housing and communal services use tools.

Reasons why an unscheduled check of the hot water meter at home may be carried out:

• the disk rotates chaotically, including when the DHW or hot water supply is turned off;
• the presence of a manufacturing defect that became the source of incorrect readings;
• requirement of the Criminal Code due to damage to the seal;
• installing a new seal on the metering device;
• initiative of the owner when doubts arise about the correctness of measurements;
• The owner of the apartment suspects the management company of deliberately overstating the cost of the resource.

It is necessary to carry out after-hours checks of meters due to high water consumption. As a rule, this happens if the mechanism is constantly exposed to dirt or there is a pressure drop in the system.

Actions upon expiration of the verification period

When the meter verification period has passed, it must be replaced. The consumer must install a new meter independently at his own expense. Usually people prefer to entrust this work to specialized companies (many HOAs themselves offer to do this for a fee).

Please note: during the period of changing the meter (often HOAs are not very quick to send employees to perform this task), the consumer will pay for water supply according to average indicators.

After this, the meter is sealed. This procedure should be performed free of charge by the HOA. The resident must draw up an appropriate application and submit documents for ownership of the property.

In some cases, the meter replacement procedure is carried out ahead of schedule. The reasons may be the following:

1. Device malfunction. The most common failure is that the discs rotate when the water is turned off.
2. The meter's operational period has passed.
3. A manufacturing defect has been detected.
4. The passport for the individual metering device was lost and this fact was discovered by a water utility control employee.

Video about the meter verification procedure

Verification procedure

It includes submitting an application to dismantle the meter (however, sometimes verification can be carried out right on the spot, without dismantling), direct verification in the laboratory, subsequent installation of the device back and documenting all this. Let's briefly look at these stages.

Drawing up an application

To carry out verification, you should submit an application to the management company or service provider. The timing of meter verification should be calculated independently; you can also find them on the State Services website or from your management company, if it has one. The application can also usually be completed and submitted directly through the website. After which you can submit the device for verification.

As a result, specialists from there will dismantle it for further verification. After its completion, the installation of the IPU in place and its sealing will also have to be carried out by a specialist from the management company or water utility, after which a certificate of commissioning of the meter will be issued.

Filing an application

The verification itself will be carried out by another company, and after an application for its conduct has been submitted, you need to submit an application for it separately, choosing the company you intend to apply to. The company must have the appropriate certification.

Carrying out verification

The verification itself can be performed either directly on site or in the laboratory. In the second case, the device is usually delivered to the laboratory independently, and the total verification period can be a week or even two. But if the meter is not removed, then the process usually turns out to be short-lived, and everything can be over in just half an hour.

According to GOST 12.2.003-91, during verification the following IPU indicators must be determined:

• error level under standard conditions;
• reliability;
• safety;
• environmental friendliness;
• ergonomics.

Verification includes:

• external inspection - determines how readable the meter readings are, whether there is damage to the case, whether the device corresponds to its passport;
• testing - a stream of water is passed through the apparatus for five minutes, and it is determined how tight it is;
• error detection - using a special installation, it is measured whether there is an inaccuracy in the measurement; an inaccuracy within 5% is considered acceptable; if greater, calibration or replacement is required.

Recommended service life

The recommended service life is the period of time during which the manufacturer guarantees the safe use of its products, subject to compliance with the operating instructions. If you continue to use the product after the recommended period has expired, the quality of the results obtained may decrease.

Before releasing any product for sale, the manufacturer conducts various tests on its products. These tests also include a service life test.

If we are talking about high-pressure pipes or cars, then the need for such tests is obvious. A malfunction in a pipeline through which gas or liquid passes under enormous pressure can lead to serious consequences. Operating a car whose brake hoses have expired will also not lead to anything good.

In order to avoid confusion, the law establishes that any product must have a recommended service life. If the product does not have its own recommended service life, then this period is 10 years.

By the way, this is the deadline set for a metal ruler.

Which organizations can verify water meters?

To carry out such procedures, you can contact the following organizations:

• Vodokanal, however, to carry out verification, the meter will be dismantled and you may have to wait for some time, in addition, fill out and submit certain documents, which will take some time;
• A special organization that is certified (of which there is documentary evidence) to perform verification work on water meters. The cost of such services is relatively low - for Moscow it is about 500 rubles. In addition, such verification is convenient because the company’s specialists go to the address where the meter is installed and carry out all the necessary measurements at the owner’s home (office, enterprise).

It is also worth noting one important fact that the owners of houses and apartments forget (or do not know) - the period for calibrating meters is set not from the moment of its installation and start of work, but from the date of its release and packaging at the manufacturer.

Thus, having bought a water meter that has been in storage for about three years and installed it to measure hot water consumption, verification will have to be carried out within one year. Therefore, when purchasing such measuring instruments, always pay attention to the date of their production - this will help you avoid premature costs and paperwork.

It is possible that the result of the verification will be a conclusion that the device is faulty and, naturally, the impossibility of its further use. In this case, you will need to install a new one.

Consequences if deadlines are missed

You should not initially wait for the end of this period. It is better to carry out verification in a month or two and not worry about large charges in the receipt for cold and hot water supply. At the same time, we must also remember about drainage; it is also calculated based on the volume of water consumed.

If the meter verification period has expired, then water consumption is calculated according to:

• the average water consumption of the apartment over the past six months;
• established norm of water consumption per person;
• number of people living in the apartment.

According to the law, if the owner of the property stops supplying data from the water meter, the management organization does not have the right to charge according to the standards for three months.

The state provides this three-month period in case of temporary problems with the payer’s money or simply not consuming water for a couple of months. If the data submission starts again, then a recalculation is simply made in the receipt and that’s it.

The owner of the home is required by law to carry out verification of household water measuring devices. Moreover, this should be done in a timely manner and with the signing of all necessary acts. Without documents with signatures, it will be impossible to prove anything to the management company.

But after three months of absence of data from the meter, the management company has every right to begin accrual according to average standards.

If you are leaving home for three months or more, it is recommended to notify the housing office and shut off the water supply. Otherwise, upon your return, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise in the form of a receipt for housing and communal services.

What changes have been made to the verification rules

Fundamentally significant in the new law is the provision on the creation of a unified electronic register, which will collect information about all water measuring devices.

Important! The essence of the changes in the new verification rules is the transition from paper certificates to electronic documents. Anyone will have free access to the departmental register of the FSIS "Arshin". The results of metrological verification of the device must be entered by the inspector into a single database within 24 hours. Only an entry in the electronic register will be considered legally significant. But according to the new law, the owner of the meter, after checking the device, can additionally request:

• a paper document with verification data,
• a mark in the metering device passport,
• placing a sign on the meter.

Other significant changes made to the Law “On Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements” relate to requirements for the identification of measuring instruments. Serial numbers and other alphanumeric information must be legible and retained until the water meter is in use. All water meters will have their own unique code, similar to the VIN code of a car. The database will store information about the date of manufacture, the manufacturer of the device, the dates of the initial and next verification.

Question:

How will the verification of cold and hot water meters take place from September 2020?

Answer:

The procedure for checking water measuring instruments will not change. When the meter verification deadline approaches, its owner contacts a specialized company that has an accreditation certificate for this type of activity. A good choice is the competent specialists of Vodokanal, but these can also be representatives of homeowners' associations, housing and communal services, the city metrological service, and commercial organizations. On the appointed day, a specialist arrives and checks the water meter. The measurement readings are recorded. If the test results are successful, the meter can be used until the next verification, which is scheduled by the inspector. If the device is no longer suitable for operation, the specialist recommends that the user replace the water meter.